Tales from Waverly Place
by funvince
Summary: Series of oneshots about the friendship between Justin & Alex. Ch 5: It may be the future but some things never change. Inspired by this line - Alex: If you help, when I'm 30 and mom and dad kick me out of the house, I promise I will not move in with you.
1. The Balance of Things

**Tales from Waverly Place**

_A Wizards of Waverly Place Fanfiction_

**Chapter**: The Balance of Things  
**Author**: funvince  
**Genre: **Family/Friendship  
**Summary**: Alex wins the Wizard Competition. Again.  
**Spoilers**: Post-Series  
**Note 1**: There are many stories where Alex and Justin both forfeit the Wizard Competition because they don't want to keep their powers at the expense of the other. Those are sweet, but I think a more interesting outcome should be explored.  
**Note 2: **None of these oneshots will be Jalex. While I occasionally like to read a well-written Jalex fanfic, I feel there is a need for more stories where Alex and Justin have a close relationship but don't feel the need to make out with each other.

* * *

Max swore he would hate them forever if they let him win.

Justin and Alex shared an amused look. Like they were just going to let their chance for a rematch disappear. They had made a promise on a Puerto Rican beach a long time ago to see who the better wizard was, and they were going to keep it.

Professor Crumbs had once told them that they brought out the best in each other. Justin had told Alex that constantly having to get her out of trouble made him a better wizard. It was hard to imagine that after today that only one of them would get to keep his or her powers.

He couldn't imagine Alex without her magic even though it used to irritate him how naturally talented she was at using it. She hardly paid any attention in their wizarding lessons and she couldn't care less about magical theory, but when it came to practical application she was a genius. It was just too bad that she had no sense concerning when using magic might be a horrible and awful idea. Those were often the times that he would have to step in.

Because if she was the master of creating mischief, he was the expert in unraveling it. It was an aggravating, frustrating, and often thankless job. And he would never, ever admit it to her but it was also a lot of fun. That was why he often allowed Alex to run off with her crazy ideas even when he knew no good could come from them. He had to see what would happen.

Curiosity had always been a great weakness of his.

Like the scientist he prided himself on being, he studied magic. She lived it. He rarely used his powers without a lot of forethought and preparation. She used hers on a whim. Maybe that was why the results of her magic tended to be both amazing and headache-inducing. Trial and error was an inherently messy process, and Alex was great at making messes.

He wanted his magic to be structured and orderly, but she didn't care about any of that. She was chaotic, unruly, and unpredictable.

Just like magic.

Sometimes, he wished they could all keep their powers, but he didn't make the rules.

Everyone thought of him as the perfect son and the perfect student, and it was something of a burden having to meet those high expectations. Alex, on the other hand, did whatever she pleased and didn't care what anyone thought. She could be shockingly callous but she could also be amazingly kind. She was a free spirit not bound by anyone's rules but her own.

Justin had always envied that about his sister.

They had very different philosophies on life, the two of them. And in a way, they had been competing against each other their entire lives over the question of which was superior: order or chaos.

They certainly weren't competing as to who was the better student!

When Professor Crumbs had been about to take Alex's powers away for turning her parents into guinea pigs, Justin had acted impulsively for one of the few times in his life and turned the older wizard into a guinea pig. Things had turned out okay in the end, but it had still been a stupid move. One he would do again in a heartbeat.

Because he was her rival and her older brother and there was no way Alex was going to lose her powers to anyone but him.

Alex had beaten him the first time they had the Wizard Competition and not by cheating. She had known far fewer spells than him but she won fair and square. She had won the title of family wizard and all the powers that came with it. She had the ability to reverse the effects of her disastrous wish _and_ keep her newfound powers. She could have had her cake and ate it too.

Instead, she turned back time and put everything back the way it was, which included her powers as a full wizard. When Justin asked her why she would do something like that, she said it had been her fault that they had been forced to hold the battle years ahead of schedule in the first place, and it wasn't fair to Max who had been unable to attend as he had been wiped out of existence at the time. They would have a do-over in the future the right way.

Justin didn't think he could have been that selfless and he was ashamed of that. But he couldn't have been prouder of her.

So knowing what she sacrificed, he would fight it out today with everything he had. Because to do otherwise would be an insult to her. And he had to know if she could pull it off again.

She did.

It was finally over. His years of effort and study had all been for this day, and this was the result. It had been a hard-fought battle and it was one he would always remember. Max actually managed to put in a good showing. He felt bad that he was surprised by that, and he silently promised to make it up to his brother later, but right now he was staring at Alex who was laughing in sheer delight and literally glowing with a golden light.

When she won again he thought it would hurt. And it did a little but not as much as he thought it would. Was it because, unlike the first time, he was prepared for the possibility of losing? Was it because he had realized a long time ago that while magic was fun to have it wasn't the most important thing in his life? He didn't know. What he did know was that he had given everything he had in this fight and he was satisfied with that.

He suddenly noticed Alex looking at him. She wasn't smiling. The glow around her had faded. She walked toward him until she was only a few feet away and then she stopped. The question in her eyes was clear.

_Are we okay? _

He smiled and gave a slight nod.

Her face broke out into a smile even brighter and wider than the one she wore just a few moments before, and before he knew it she had tackled both him and Max to the ground with a hug.

He supposed that she didn't need him to look out for her anymore.

He was wrong.

It was two weeks after the competition. Alex insisted it wasn't her fault. She always did. He would take the time to prove out that this was her fault (with graphs and flowcharts, if necessary) after he figured out a way to transport them out of Ancient Rome (and away from the pursuing gladiators) and back to their own time.

It was funny that even though he did not have his powers any longer he still spent a great deal of time researching arcane spells and obscure wizarding facts to help his sister with her problems.

Justin rapidly flipped through all the transportation and time travel spells he knew. He may not have been as good as Alex in making up spells or 'winging it', but he had a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the five thousand basic wizarding spells. Between the two of them, they should be fine. They had always made a good team.

Alex may have been the family wizard and had all the power that went with it but when it came to getting her out of a jam he was still a wizard - one of the wise. She would always need him to give her restraint, and he would always need her to help him take risks.

That was the balance they had. He had worried that things would change after the competition, but it looked like, at least for the moment, he was still the Order to her Chaos.

* * *

**Please remember to review. Your feedback gives me motivation to write!**


	2. Alex's Good Deed

**Tales from Waverly Place**

_A Wizards of Waverly Place Fanfiction_

**Chapter**: Alex's Good Deed  
**Author**: funvince  
**Genre: **Family/Friendship  
**Summary**: Alex couldn't believe Justin allowed himself to be swindled by a little girl.  
**Spoilers**: after the _Doll House _episode  
**Notes:**While what Justin did to help Alex get out of the dollhouse was sweet and funny, it didn't make much sense. So I'm tying up some loose ends.

* * *

"Are you still mad at me?" Alex asked

Justin didn't look at her but just forcefully turned the page in the latest issue of the _Captain Jim-Bob Sherwood _comic book.

Alex sighed. The two of them were currently in Harper's new room in the basement. Alex was still looking for her shrunken wand while Justin sat on the washing machine giving her the silent treatment. She had been amused at first and made quips about how peaceful and relaxing it was to not have to listen to Justin's grating voice, but she was now getting annoyed with her brother's passive-aggressive attitude.

She thought Justin had gotten over having to spend 400 dollars to save her, but after he learned that the money he gave to Olive ended up in Max's pocket he got sullen again. And he was taking it out on her, which was totally unfair. If this wasn't a case of misdirected anger then she didn't know what was.

Alex sighed. It had been a very long day. While she had been helping Harper convert the basement into a new bedroom, she had found an old doll house she used to play with as a kid. She shrunk herself down to use the house as her own art studio. Unfortunately, her parents thought the doll house was junk and gave it to the neighborhood kid Olive while Alex was still in it. This still wouldn't have been a problem at all if Alex hadn't dropped her wand in the commotion. She spent an agonizing day pretending to be a doll until Justin brought the doll house back with the money he got from selling some collectible toy of his.

Her scalp still ached from when Olive tried brushing her hair with an implement that resembled an instrument from the Spanish Inquisition more than it did a hairbrush. Her face hurt because of all the effort it took to wash off the clown makeup the kid put on her. Alex wasn't in the mood for Justin's moodiness.

"I don't see why you're holding a grudge," Alex said. "I don't see how it's my fault you got swindled by an elementary schooler. I thought you'd give her a twenty for the house. Why did you give her _four hundred_ dollars?"

"Because when Olive asked me how much money I had on me, I kinda told her the truth," Justin replied sheepishly. Then his eyes widened. "I'm not talking to you!"

Alex slapped her forehead. She said, "It's so hard to believe I'm related to you sometimes."

"Hey! She may be a kid, but she's also a financial genius!" Justin said, jumping up off the washer and shaking a finger in her face. He was apparently giving up any pretense of ignoring her.

"She's the girl who gave Max all of the money you gave her for his trash on a plate!" Alex yelled, throwing up her hands. "You know how everyone always talks about how smart you are? Right now, I'm not seeing it!"

"I'll have you know that Max's trash on a plate was... was a sculpture!"

Alex raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "A sculpture?"

"You- you just don't understand modern art!" Justin said with a sniff as he angrily stomped toward the stairs.

Alex caught his arm and pulled him back. She said, "Wait, Justin. I didn't think this would upset you so much. I really did appreciate you saving me, and I know how hard you worked to sell that Captain Jim-Bob thing-a-ma-bob. I'm really sor- Ahem. There's a fault in my throat. I'm sorr- sorra-"

Justin rolled his eyes then he said, "Sorry?"

"What you said!"

Justin began to pace back and forth. He said, "I guess I'm just a little tired of being taken for granted."

"What? I don't take you for granted!"

"Yes, you do. You don't even _intend _to pay me back for today! But it's not about the money. Look, I don't mind helping you out with your problems. And, to be fair, it's not like you never help me out with mine either. It's just... I want you to recognize that I don't exist simply to make your life easier."

Alex felt a little hurt by Justin's words. He said it wasn't about the money, but that's what it sounded like this was about to her. After all, she had thanked him and hugged him for his trouble, and he knew she hated showing that she cared about him. What more did he want? And she had seriously tried to get herself out of the situation herself because she didn't want to always have to depend on Justin. He was graduating soon, and she knew that even if things between them didn't change right away they would eventually.

He had been there watching over her and being the annoying older brother for as long as she could remember. Yeah, sometimes when he was in a jerky mood, he would leave her to flail wildly like a drowning person but he almost always had her back when the chips were down. She may not have always thanked him for it, but she did appreciate what he did for her.

If Justin wanted proof of that then she'd show him proof.

Half an hour later, Alex marched into Justin's room and threw a wad of bills at his face.

"Ow! Alex! What are you doing?"

Alex crossed her arms in satisfaction. She replied, "I'm giving you your stupid money."

"You could seriously have damaged my retina," Justin grumbled, rubbing his eye. Then his eyes widened. "Where did you get this?"

"I told Max that if he didn't give me the money then all the pranks I was planning to do to you next week I was going to do to him instead."

Justin said slowly, "So your idea of showing me you appreciate me is to threaten our little brother?"

"Yep!" Alex replied with a grin. Then her face turned serious. She said, "I don't know where you got the stupid idea that I take you for granted, so I'm going to say this once. I don't know where I would be without you and I'm going to miss you when you go off to college you big, stupid dork."

Justin shook his head, but he was smiling. He said, "It means a lot to me that you tried, in your own twisted way, to do something nice for me. And I shouldn't have said what I did. I over-reacted. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Alex said, and she was proud that she didn't stutter this time. Suddenly feeling a little awkward, she turned to leave. She was stopped by the call of Justin's voice.

"Wait, you're not going to still play those pranks you told Max about on me, are you?"

Alex simply smiled at him and held out a hand.

Justin sighed and slapped down a fifty on her palm.

"Good doing business with you," Alex said with a smirk.

"Wait a minute," Justin said, looking at the bills he had fanned out in confusion. "Discounting the fifty I just gave you this still only comes out to three hundred dollars."

"Well, I had to take my collector's fee off first. Okay, gotta go. Bye!"

Alex was half-way down the stairs when she heard Justin yell, "Alex! Give me back my money!"

She smiled. Everything was back to normal.


	3. Odd Man Out

**Tales from Waverly Place**

_A Wizards of Waverly Place Fanfiction_

**Chapter**: Odd Man Out  
**Author**: funvince  
**Genre: **Family/Friendship  
**Summary**: Max knows Justin and Alex are closer to each other than they are to him. He usually doesn't mind. Much.  
**Spoilers**: set near the end of first season  
**Notes: **It's hard to imagine an angsty Max, but there are some small indications in the show that he might feel a little bit like this at times. And I prefer for characters to be more than one-dimensional.

* * *

It was tough being the youngest child.

It was tougher being the brother of a genius and an evil-er genius.

And toughest of all was knowing that his brother and sister were much closer to each other than they were to him.

Max usually didn't mind. It had always been that way. Maybe it was because they were closer in age, but he always felt like an outsider when he watched them fight and tease each other. They enjoyed picking on each other and making snarky comments about each other's flaws. It was their twisted game of fun.

Maybe if he was more clever they would do that with him too.

Alex's favorite hobby seemed to be to annoy and mock Justin as much as she possibly could. It was easy to see why. Justin was such dorky, uptight know-it-all. Who wouldn't want to mess with him?

Alex played pranks on Max too but her idea of pranking her younger brother was putting hamster food in his oatmeal. Her pranks on Justin were more elaborate and included sending him fake love letters from a secret admirer, hiding his lightsaber and cape, and using all of her minutes on him with crank wand-calls.

Justin's greatest joy in life appeared to be getting Alex in trouble with Mom and Dad and gloating whenever one of her crazy schemes blew up in her face. He loved lording it over her whenever he had to help her get out of a jam. And his pranks on Alex were nothing to sneeze at either. Max remembered fondly a certain incident involving a pocket-elf and chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.

Why would Max be envious of a relationship like that?

Because family hate was different from normal people hate. Justin had explained it to him once.

Alex rolled her eyes at Justin's dorkiness, but she still helped him with his girl problems. Justin always moaned and griped about having to clean up Alex's messes, but at least a few of those messes were the result of him trying to help Alex get away with something.

Justin was the overprotective older brother who once risked losing his own magic powers to keep Alex from losing hers. Alex was the troublemaking younger sister who once turned back time to prevent him from losing his.

Where did Max fit in all this?

Max was the comic relief in the family. He was the kid who made dumb comments and made everyone stare at him in disbelief. He wasn't smart like Justin or devious like Alex. The sad truth was that his siblings didn't need him, not like the way they needed each other.

He knew that they loved him. It wasn't like they ignored him or meant to leave him out. He often helped Alex with her pranks on Justin. He and Justin often got together to make fun of their sister and for mutual protection when Alex got mad. But it wasn't the same somehow.

It didn't make much sense. His brother and sister were complete opposites. Justin was a bookworm. Alex was a slacker. All Justin wanted to do was study. Alex thought books without pictures were stupid. Justin loved following the rules. Alex had yet to find a rule that she liked.

If anything, Max and Alex should have had the tight bond being the troublemakers that they were. Or maybe him and Justin simply because they were both guys. But it wasn't like that.

They had crazy adventures together that hardly ever included him. Maybe that was why they were so close. It sometimes seemed like they hugged each other about every other week. He could count the number of times Alex or Justin had ever hugged him on one hand.

He sometimes felt like he and his parents were just bit characters in the Alex and Justin Show. There was a gulf between them, and he would always fall short of being able to catch up.

For the most part, he has made his peace with it. He would rather watch the chaos unfolding than be a direct part of it anyway. It has been this way since he was born, and he doubted that it would ever change.

He was their brother, but they were each other's best friend.

Max usually didn't mind. Much.

* * *

**Author's Note: I would like to have a better idea of what you like or dislike about these stories and whether or not I should continue. Thank you. **


	4. Girl Troubles

**Tales from Waverly Place**

_A Wizards of Waverly Place Fanfiction_

**Chapter**: Girl Troubles  
**Author**: funvince  
**Genre: **Family/Friendship  
**Summary**: Justin goes to Alex for help with his new girlfriend. It's not the first time.  
**Spoilers**: after third season episode _Moving On_ but before _Alex Saves Mason_  
**Notes:**I've noticed an interesting pattern with all of Justin's girlfriends.

* * *

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you came to me," Alex said, sounding bored as she filed her nails.

"What do you mean?" Justin asked, sounding confused. For such a smart boy, he could be a little slow on the uptake.

"Oh, come on. You must have noticed by now. Every time you get a girlfriend you end up coming to me for help," Alex replied.

"That's not true!"

"Really? Let's count. Remember the goth girl Miranda? How many first kisses did you have with her again?"

Justin's face turned red. He muttered, "It wasn't that many times."

Alex gave him a look.

"Eighteen."

Alex smiled triumphantly then she continued, "You weren't really dating centaur girl so she's doesn't count. Ooh! How about that wolf girl, Isabella? If it weren't for me, you'd probably be living in the park chasing frisbees."

"That was you sticking your nose into my business. Okay, things turned out a bit... hairier than I expected, but I could have handled that myself just fine."

Alex looked unconvinced. Harper, who had been sitting quietly next to the two of them, looked equally skeptical.

"You weren't even there!" Justin cried in response to Harper's expression.

"I'm sorry, Justin, but you're really not great in high pressure situations," Harper replied.

Alex laughed.

Justin snapped his fingers as something occurred to him. He asked, "How about Tutor? I definitely didn't ask you for any help with her!"

"Considering I was trying to win her for myself, that's hardly surprising!" Alex said, scoffing.

Harper looked freaked out. She said, "Is there something you're not telling me, Alex?"

"_Anyway_, I helped you sabotage Max so she wouldn't leave. My plan made that happen!" Alex said. An embarrassed look came over her face as she admitted, "For about a day. But it still counts!"

"Because I consider myself a very open-minded person and I hope you know that you can tell me anything, Alex-"

"Harper!"

Justin looked torn between being amused or angry. He clearly settled on angry when he jabbed a finger in Alex's face and said, "That wasn't helping me. That was helping yourself!"

"Which ended up helping you so stop splitting hairs!" Alex said, glaring at him.

"Didn't Alex help you break up with that Daphne girl?" Harper asked suddenly.

"Whose side are you on?" Justin cried.

"I'm on the side of peace?"

"Daphne was my stalker! She wasn't my girlfriend. But I can see how you would get confused by the difference, _Harper_."

"Hey, leave her out of this! Besides, you took Daphne out and kissed her, didn't you? And didn't you bring her home to meet mom and dad?"

Alex could see that she had Justin trapped. If he kept insisting that Daphne was never his girlfriend then he would look like a jerk. But if there was one thing Justin got out of his Alien Language League, it was the ability to debate.

"Even assuming for the moment that Daphne was my girlfriend, I never asked you to help me, Alex. Technically, I went to Harper for help. Her brain just happened to be in your body at the time. So there!"

"I guess you showed me!" Alex responded, rolling her eyes.

Harper was shaking her head as she said, "You guys have the strangest conversations. Why can't you ever talk about something normal? Hey! I've noticed something too. I don't think Justin has ever dated a normal girl."

Justin looked like he was thinking furiously. Then he said, "Kari! Kari was normal. She wasn't a goth or a monster or anything!"

Alex raised an eyebrow. Then she asked, "You mean the girl who only dated baseball players even though she knows nothing about baseball? The one who refuses to watch a movie unless it features cats in them?"

Justin opened his mouth again but Alex held up a hand to stop his next outburst. She said, "We've gotten off track. Back to my main point. Face it, Justin. Even though cute girls find you attractive for some inexplicable reason, you still need my help to keep them around. And if you didn't, why are you asking me for advice right now?"

Alex also wanted to point out that if it wasn't for her, their parents would never have allowed him to go out with Juliet, but then she thought better about it. It was probably too soon. She didn't want to hurt Justin. She was just killing time by riling him up for kicks.

Justin sighed heavily. Then he said, "Fine. I do need your help. With Sara. Who is definitely a normal girl."

Alex couldn't resist. She quipped, "Anyone who's willing to go out with you is definitely not normal."

"Hey!" Harper said, looking wounded. "I'm standing right here. And, might I add, I'm standing here wearing a lovely jacket made entirely out of green gummy bears. It really brings out my eyes, don't you think?"

"I rest my case," Alex said.

While Harper pouted, Justin continued speaking. He said, "I really like Sara, but I think she moves at a faster pace than I do."

"Yeah, I sensed that when she gave you her number after talking to you for about thirty seconds," Alex said. She clapped her hands then stood up. "So we have established that she moves fast and that she has bad taste and poor judgment. Well, that was easy. Who's up for some ice cream?"

"I haven't told you the problem yet!" Justin said through gritted teeth.

"Oh," Alex said. She sat back down and put on her thinking face. "Continue."

"Okay, I think Sara wants to start going steady. Alex, stop rolling your eyes. I don't care if nobody says 'going steady' any more! Anyway, I don't think I'm ready for that right now. What should I do?"

"And I thought you'd have an interesting problem. Silly me," Alex replied. "Just tell her the truth. Tell her that you're still not over your last relationship and that you're not ready for such a big step."

Justin looked at her with his jaw dropped. He asked, "That's it? No wacky scheme? No convoluted and confusing lies? Are you, Alex Russo, actually telling me to tell someone the truth?"

"I know! Sometimes I even surprise myself. But think about it, Justin. I could tell you to make up some outrageous story about why you can't be her boyfriend, but we both know you're going to tell her the truth anyway because of your guilt-induced ulcers and we're going to end up right back where we started."

"I guess you're right," Justin said with a sigh. "Blast my fragile gastrointestinal tract!"

"Besides, if you're not scaring her off with your major dorkiness by now then you probably have nothing to worry about. And if she does bail then she wasn't really worth it."

Justin smiled. He said, "You're right. Thanks, Alex."

"Yeah, you're pretty helpless without out me. And it's kinda nice being the mature one for once. Now come on. I want to try to con the ice cream man into believing that we're collecting ice cream sandwiches for orphans."

Alex laughed when she saw Justin sigh but follow after her anyway. She was reminded of something her former friend Stevie once said to Justin.

_"You hate each other, but you do what she says anyway?"_

It was a complicated relationship. And it worked for them. Because no matter how much they pretended that they could barely tolerate each other, they knew they were family. And family looked out for each other.


	5. The More Things Change

**Tales from Waverly Place**

_A Wizards of Waverly Place Fanfiction_

**Chapter**: The More Things Change  
**Author**: funvince  
**Genre: **Family/Friendship  
**Summary**: It may be the future but some things never change.  
**Spoilers**: Elements from episodes _Dude Looks Like Shakira _and _Future Harper. _This was written before the new third season episode _Alex Saves Mason._  
**Notes: **Inspired by the following line -

_Alex: If you help, when I'm 30 and mom and dad kick me out of the house, I promise I will not move in with you..._

* * *

"You do realize you are breaking our agreement," Justin said with crossed arms and a stern look.

Alex rolled her eyes. "You mean the one I made when I was sixteen?"

"An agreement is an agreement," Justin insisted. "You promised you wouldn't move in with me when you were thirty when I agreed to help you keep Uncle Kelbo's secret."

"And you said you would be living with your imaginary wife Stephanie. We don't always get what we want," Alex replied with a smirk. "Besides, I'm not _moving_ in with you. I'm just here until I get the money to pay off my rent so the landlord will let me back into my apartment."

"So... you'll be staying here forever then."

"Ha ha. Okay, I'm a little behind in my payments, but I get paid next week and somebody agreed to buy _two_ of my paintings. I'm sure you can survive a few days living with your little sister."

"I _did _survive my childhood and adolescent years," Justin muttered thoughtfully. He looked like he was about to resign himself to the situation, but then he straightened up and glared at her with the suspicious look that she was extremely familiar with. He asked, "So it's just a coincidence then that you needed to stay here all of a sudden only two weeks after you turned thirty?"

_"Oh God_. Justin, is it so hard to accept that I've grown up and matured? That I'm beyond such childish games? Do you really think I'm the type of person who would come barging into your home just to make a point about some stupid promise we made when we were kids?"

Watching Justin's face soften, Alex couldn't keep a straight face any longer.

"Yeah, that totally sounds like something I would do!" She quickly put on a serious face. "But that's not what happened here, I swear."

Alex walked past Justin and flopped herself down on his couch. She was still chuckling at the idea that she had matured. Yeah right.

"Why are you so upset anyway?" Alex asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because you came over without any notice and then made me carry up your entire luggage?" Justin asked in the exaggerated and over-dramatic tone he got whenever he was frustrated with her.

Alex tapped her chin thoughtfully then she replied, "No, I don't think that's it."

Justin's face started twitching like he was about to have an aneurysm. Alex smiled. She just loved making that vein in his neck bulge like that.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed her legs out of the way so he could sit down next to her. Then he asked, "Why couldn't you stay with Max anyway?"

"Because him and his roommate are utter slobs and his place smells like a cow threw up and then died in there? Besides, your place is closer to the high school. Ugh, I hate getting up so freaking early in the morning."

At least Justin knew better than to ask why she couldn't stay with mom and dad. She loved her parents dearly, but they were still the most embarrassing people she knew. She must somehow have gotten all the cool genes they weren't using. Hmm, that probably explained why Justin and Max turned out like they did.

"Nobody forced you to become an art teacher, Alex. I'm surprised Mr. Laritate keeps you around considering you've spent almost as much of your adult life in detention as you did when you were a kid!"

Alex sat up with a look of outrage. She said, "That's because I'm the teacher in charge of detention! You know that!"

"I do. It's just funnier to pretend I don't," Justin said, giving her a smug look. "And I still say that putting _you _in charge of detention is like having the fox guard the henhouse!"

Okay, point for him, Alex thought as she swatted at him half-heartedly.

Justin fended her off before he asked, "Anyway, what does the distance matter? Aren't you a wizard?"

"About that... I may or may not have had my powers suspended for a month."

"Alex! Did you turn the captain of the football team into an elementary school girl again?"

"He stopped bullying the neighborhood kids, didn't he? And no, I didn't do that again. All I did was accidentally blow up one of Wiztech's towers during the 12-ball championship tournament. I don't see what the big deal was."

"Was it the Tower of Evil?"

"You'd think they'd thank me for getting rid of it. Why do they even have one on campus? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Are you sure you don't belong in detention? I can't believe at your age that you're still engaging in the irresponsible use of magic-"

Alex had already tuned him out and was flipping through the television channels. She said, "Ooh, Desperate Housewives is on! Can you believe that this show's been on for so many years? It's amazing what plastic surgery and genetic resequencing can accomplish."

"Alex..." Justin said through gritted teeth.

Still ignoring him, Alex glanced around the condo. It hadn't changed that much from the last time she was here. It was as neurotically clean and organized as it ever was. There were a few changes though. Justin had apparently put a forcefield screen over his bookcase after the last time she was here and rearranged all his comic books in the order of best to worst-looking superheroes. His eyes had almost literally bugged out then. Ah, good times.

She looked nostalgically at the guitar case that was leaning against the back wall lined with numerous robotics engineering award plaques. It was too bad that their band never took off, but it was probably for the best. The idea of her brother as a rock star was just too ludicrous for words.

Alex walked over to Justin's workbench and picked up what looked like a piece of parchment out of curiosity. She took a brief skim over it then burst out laughing.

"Is this a _love poem_? What are you, a thirteen year old girl?"

With red cheeks, Justin tore the paper out of her hands. He said, "Not that it's any of your business, but my colleague Vanessa Higgins, Chair and Head of the Chemical Engineering Department, is a fan of medieval romantic poetry. I'd thought that I'd show her that we share a mutual interest."

"Unless you share a mutual interest in barfing, I don't see that going well," Alex replied. " 'My soul would wilt like a flower in winter.' _Seriously_?"

"Just stop going through my stuff! Haven't you heard a man's home is his castle?"

"In a _manor_ of speaking," Alex joked. She chuckled at her wit. "You see what I did there?"

Justin groaned. He asked, "When are you going to get over your fascination with bad puns?"

"About the same time that you stop playing with _dolls_."

"They're action figures!" Justin cried. He turned away but not before Alex saw the grin he was trying to hide.

"Aha! You're smiling! Are you really that unhappy to see me?"

"Are you going to Harper's going away party next month?" Justin asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Of course I am. It's not every day my best friend goes back in time to write the JR Rawlings-"

"HJ Darling," Justin corrected.

"-the HJ Darling books. I'll have to ask her how she came up with such a silly pen-name. Anyway, it's not like she can go without my help. I should have my powers back before then."

"I bet she's going to miss you."

Alex shrugged. She said, "She's only going to be gone for a few weeks."

"Yes, from our perspective, but from hers it'll probably be years. It could even be longer. It takes a lot of time to write a series of books as complicated and nuanced as the Charmed and Dangerous series."

"That's why my going away gift is going to be awesome. I just downloaded the entire series of Harper's books, and I'm going to give them to her before she goes. Now she doesn't actually have to write anything!"

Justin gave her a horrified look. He said, "Wait a minute. We never told Harper that we met her future self when we were teenagers. She doesn't know she wrote those books! And the books you have now only exist because Harper went back in time to write them. If Harper goes back and just copies the books you give her then who originally created them?"

Alex shrugged. "How should I know?"

"You're not giving her those books."

"Why not?"

"Because if you do, my head's going to explode. And you may possibly also destroy the universe."

"_Fine_. I'll get her something else. But because you just ruined a totally amazing present, I'm making you pay for it."

Justin sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I know! I'm going to get her plates with pictures of your face on them! Then whenever she has dinner, she has to eat off _your face_!"

"That sounds oddly familiar... No! You're not giving her those!"

Alex smiled evilly at him. "I have to or else the space-time continuum goes kablooey!"

Blast it, she was right. In defeat, Justin said "Fine! But I'm not paying for them!"

"Isn't this fun?" Alex asked, turning to her brother with a wide grin. "We haven't fought like this in forever!"

"I'm speechless with joy," Justin replied dryly.

"Come on, don't be like that. We hardly ever see each other anymore."

"What are you talking about? We see each other all the time! At birthdays, holidays, whenever mom and dad invite us over for dinner, et cetera."

"Not like that. I mean we don't hang out like we used to. I know I always bag on you for being a dork and a know-it-all and a stick-in-the-mud..."

"Get to the point, Alex."

"I could have stayed with Harper even though she lives all the way on the other side of town, but I thought it'd be kinda nice to stay here with my big brother for awhile."

Justin stared at her for a long moment before he started blinking rapidly. He said, "Excuse me while I go get my allergy medicine."

"Nobody believes that you're allergic to sadness!" Alex scoffed. "Just admit you're a big baby, Justin!"

Justin stuck his head out from the bathroom. He said, "It _is_ good to see you again, Alex. But I still hate you."

"I hate you too!" Alex called back gleefully. This was going to be a fun week.


End file.
